Fact sheet

• Developer
  Unfold Games
  Based in Los Angeles
• Release Date
  August 15, 2019
• Platforms
  PC (Steam / GOG / EGS)
  PS4
  Xbox One
  Switch
  PS5
  Xbox Series S|X
  
• Websites
  DarqGame.com
  Steam.com
  GOG.com
  EpicGames.com
  Consoles

Description

DARQ is a 2.5d side-scroller that tells the story of Lloyd, a boy who finds himself in the middle of a lucid dream. To Lloyd's misfortune, the dream turns into a nightmare and all attempts to wake up end in failure. Trapped inside his own subconscious, Lloyd has to face his deepest fears in order to find a way out.

While in development, DARQ won Best Of The MIX Award at PAX West 2018 and landed on the front page of reddit multiple times, becoming one of the most upvoted posts of all time. Created almost entirely by a first-time solo developer (and a few talented contractors), DARQ launched to critical acclaim on Steam and GOG.

Since launch, DARQ won numerous awards, including the "Game of the Year" (Overcome Festival) and the "Best Game" (MIX / PAX West) awards and became the #42nd most shared PC game of 2019 according to Metacritic. As a way to say "Thank You" to the community, two free DLC were released: "The Tower" and "The Crypt."

Viral Blog Posts

(Medium) "Why I turned down exclusivity deal from the Epic Store."

Interviews

(IGN) "Why Did a First-Time Game Developer Turn Down 12 Publishers?"

(Kotaku) "What Happens After An Indie Says No To Publishers"

(Kotaku) "'My Word Means Something': Indie Dev Elaborates On His Viral Decision To Reject Epic Store Exclusivity"

(DbS) "From Film Composer to Game Developer - An Interview with Wlad Marhulets"

How DARQ was made

(Imgur) "I quit my job to work on my first game. 16 hours a day for over a year now trying to finish it. Being an indie dev is a crazy thing to do."

(Imgur) "I rejected 12 offers from major publishers to make this game the way I wanted it to be"